As soon as Arix stepped onto the track, she felt like she'd been thrown into a furnace.
Inside her mecha's cockpit, the heat seeped through. It was like being in a sauna, with the air itself burning hot.
Ahead of her, a sea of flames raged, with lava erupting and splashing everywhere. Arix swallowed hard and quickly activated her mecha's energy shield, dodging stray lava bursts while keeping a close eye on Drexel in front of her.
Drexel moved through the lava like he was born for it, handling the intense environment with surprising grace.
'Man, he makes it look so easy,' Arix thought, a mix of envy and admiration bubbling up. She tapped a few buttons, steering her mecha to leap over a sudden wave of molten rock.
As they progressed, the lava's fury intensified, transforming from small streams into massive, fiery waves.